[Python-ideas] Changing the default install location, script versioning (Packages and PEP 370)

[Antoine Pitrou]

Doug Hellmann <doug.hellmann at ...> writes:
> 
> Why is the lib directory ~/.local/lib/pythonVERSION if ~/.local isn't  
> intended to support more than one version of the interpreter?

Because scripts specify which version of the interpreter they use in their
shebang line, so they don't need a versioned location.
Conversely, libraries have no way to specify for which version of the
interpreter they were installed, so their location needs to be
versioned.
(besides, it is common for a library to be installed for several interpreters
because it may be required by several different apps)

This is the same difference as between /usr/bin and
/usr/lib/python-X.Y/site-packages.

Regards

Antoine.